Sulfur hexafluoride has found increasing use as a dielectric gas in high voltage electrical applications wherein the dielectric gas is subject to a substantially uniform electrical field. Such applications include compressed gas insulated cables of the type used in power distribution substations for cables carrying high voltages, such as over about 100 kilovolts. The ratings of a cable of this type depends on a combination of the dielectric gas, the pressure to which the gas is subjected and the gap between conductors filled by the gas. An improved dielectric gas would improve the rated voltage if the other factors were held constant or permit a relaxation of some other factor while retaining rated voltage.
Many attempts have been made to formulate dielectric gases including gas mixtures of sulfur hexafluoride with improved electrical properties. Thus such mixtures have been discovered with improved dielectric strength in non-uniform fields or with dielectric strengths comparable to pure sulfur hexafluoride combined with improved other properties such as lowered dew points. Nevertheless other improved dielectric gases are still sought having such improved properties, especially for devices of the type wherein the gas is subjected to a substantially uniform field.